Ubisoft Launches Licensing Summit

With such hit game franchises as “Assassin’s Creed,” “Far Cry” and “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege,” Ubisoft has made a significant investment in their consumer products and licensing initiatives.

The detailed presentations at the Summit were presented by each of the game franchise’s brand directors, providing attendees with an immersive experience of the gameplay.

In 2017, licensing veteran Sarah Buzby joined Ubisoft to head up their Americas licensing efforts, alongside Robert Donsky, senior director, business development. Both report into Olivier Ernst, managing director, consumer products, Ubisoft.

The Summit, which took place over two days and included an immersion into Ubisoft brands and culture, also featured some of Ubisoft’s newer game IP such as “Beyond Good and Evil 2,” “Assassin’s Creed Odyssey” and “Brawlhalla.”

Kicking off day one of the Summit was Steven Ekstract, brand director, UBM Global Licensing Group, who presented “Top Licensing Trends for 2018 and Beyond” to attendees, with video games and eSports marking the top two areas of growth for global licensed consumer products.

Given the explosive growth of gaming as a mainstream form of entertainment, the licensed consumer products aspects of gaming have taken off in the past few years with significant growth ahead as games become more immersive and extend into other entertainment franchises like movies and TV programming.